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The Grand Canyon State has always had more than its share of attractions for the average traveler and tourist. In addition to the famous gorge itself, there are also Meteor and Sunset craters, the pine-clad Coconino plateau and a large, rich Native North American history and culture. The gods of one tribe of Native North Americans are said to reside in the San Francisco Peaks of which Route 66 passed within a stone's throw.
Much of this part of the country was originally opened to tourists and settlers alike by the old Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway whose glistening rails actually predated Route 66. The Railway's famous "Harvey Houses" became well known all over the world for their fine cuisine and havens of rest for weary train travelers. With the coming of U.S. 66 in the 1920's, the rails and the highway ran parallel for many miles at different locations. Several generations of children were delighted and awed in the back seat of their family car as one of the Railway's crack streamliners or fast freights would rush by outside their window while Dad expertly held his hand to the steering wheel safely guiding them west over U.S. Highway 66.
Residents of northwestern Arizona can be proud that they are hosts to what is probably the longest, continuous, pristine stretch of the original Route 66 that still retains its state highway status and is as yet unblemished by a freeway. The old road from near Ash Fork to just west of Kingman is in excellent condition and maintained by the State DOT as Arizona 66.
Changing its designation back to an official U.S. Highway would seem like the only appropriate thing to do. There are also about a half-dozen shorter stretches of the old Route in other parts of northern Arizona that could get the same treatment. A U.S. "Historic" designation on the older alignments could be paired to a new U.S. 66 (freeway), which would result from the re-designation of I-40.
More than any other state, Arizona probably makes the best case for re-designating I-40 as U.S. 66. In the eastern part of the state, many miles of old U.S. 66 were simply converted to I-40 by widening and "improvement" projects. Following Interstate construction, long stretches of highway were posted for both I-40 and U.S. 66. Usually the Route 66 federal shield was mounted on the same pole immediately below the I-40 shield. This was the standard practice from the early 1960's onward until U.S. 66 was decommissioned in 1985. That amounts to about one third of the time span that U.S. 66 even existed! Changing the I-40 designation back to U.S. 66 would seem to be a matter of putting the "right" name back on the roadway!
Interested Arizona residents should contact their state legislature at:
http://www.azleg.state.az.us/MemberRoster.asp#House
Urge your state representatives to support the restoration of Route 66's U.S. Highway designation across the northern part of the state.
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